Food for Thought....

"The Thinker" by Auguste Rodin

Have you ever found loose change in your pocket that you didn't expect to find? Or better still some dollar bills in a pair of jeans or coat hanging in your closest?

Well, this past week I found a slip of paper in an old book that I had for an English class in my college days. The book is called "Walden and Other Writings" by Henry David Thoreau. It was purchased in the mid 90's when I took a Literature course ( I took many!) and this was one of the reading requirements.

The piece of paper is square and looks like it came from one of those paper note pads--I always liked small paper pads LOL Anyway, I took a moment to read what I wrote (after I found it in my daughters Halloween pumpkin-go figure!) and after I read it, it made me ponder...again. Thoreau always makes me ponder, how could he not!

So this is food for thought....I will share with you exactly what I wrote on the note. Please excuse any poor uses of grammar, which has never been my strong suit LOL

The note reads:

If we wouldn't concern ourselves with the omnipresent worries of the things we have to buy, such as; a new outfit for a wedding or getting your hair done, etc.... We ignore ourselves; our personal struggles, worries, and dilemmas (to a certain point perhaps).

That's why Thoreau wants us to ask ourselves questions such as, "What is Life?" and "What are we doing with our lives?", so we can put ourselves as a priority again and put aside the needless concerns of materialism.

Perhaps view the old worries in a different way and view materialism in a different way as well. Perhaps changing our lifestyle in the long run. (without really trying-just naturally!!!)

It made me think about the intensity of living a life consumed with materialism. How I love my movies and pretty things but I do detest the hold that some things have had and have on my life. There is this great hold that money and stuff has on us, I feel it all around me. I don't know if its more here than there but I know living in New York there are great pressures to have fancy cell phones, two hundred channels on cable, flat screen television sets in every room, Coach handbags, and pedicures once a week.

Makes me sit and think and ponder. What does it all mean to me and can I be happy and satisfied with less?

Hope it makes you ponder a little as well. Like I said, Thoreau has a way of doing that to people!

xox